New Restaurant Intel: April 2018

Apr 02, 2018by Urban Journey

Springtime in Singapore means the end of the rainy season (at least we hope it’s finally on its way out!), which makes it prime time to get out and explore the fab new offerings on the foodie scene. There are several new F&B spots that have piqued our interest this month including a hip Melbourne transplant serving ridiculously fresh seafood, a globally-inspired healthy rice and noodle bowl joint, plus cool cafes and restos offering quality coffee, craft burgers, Japanese, and French fare. If you’re looking some fresh places to add to your drinking and dining repertoire, these are our top picks for Singapore’s best new restaurants in April.

Claypots Full Circle

Claypots began as a small Melbourne spot serving up claypots and fresh seafood dishes, but it quickly evolved into a collection of restaurants with fans from far and wide. A few of those fans happened to be Singaporeans who made it their mission to bring the brand to their home city, hence the new Claypots Full Circle on buzzing Amoy Street. You won’t find claypots here, instead it offers cheeky cocktails, tantalising Mediterranean-inspired meze plates like the marinated dried Turkish olives with feta saganaki, plus rotating seafood specials like whole grilled fish, tender octopus, and juicy mussels.

Hipster coffee in a hawker centre? Well it’s about time. Located in Maxwell Food Centre, The Hangar Coffee Express is an offshoot of The Hangar cafe on Arab Street, a cool little cafe where only 100% Arabica beans are roasted in house. Sidle up to the simple, straightforward stall at Maxwell and get the baristas to whip you up one of a variety of espresso-based bevvies made with their La Marzocco machine. It also has speciality teas on offer, as well as mochas, and chai lattes. And unlike many fancier coffee shops around town, the prices here are actually very reasonable.

Brought to us by the guys behind Vatos, Urban Mix is a new healthy rice and noodle bowls spot conveniently located in Raffles Place. The colourful creations on the menu are inspired by global flavours, so you’ll find offerings like the J-Town Mix with green tea soba noodles, tofu, seaweed, and fresh veggies or the Texas Cowboy with rib-eye steak, cauliflower, broccoli and Brussels sprouts. You can also go the DIY route and choose from a myriad of bases, proteins, toppings, and sauces.

It’s not officially open yet, but we’re already salivating thinking of the insanely good burgers and milkshakes that Black Tap is going to be throwing down this summer at Marina Bay Sands. This famed New York City burger joint is renowned for its craft burgers in an array of variations including the classic American, bison, falafel, and vegan. Sides will include good old fashioned French fries, salads, and wings, and of course you have to try one of the oh-so-Instagrammable OTT milkshakes topped with goodies like cotton candy and angel food cake.

Michelin-starred chef Masayasu Yonemura has opened his first restaurant outside of Japan right here in Singapore at Resorts World Sentosa, and we can’t wait to grab front-row seats for his teppanyaki show. The space features three dining areas with up to a maximum of eight seats set around teppanyaki tables where the chefs slice, dice, and saute fresh ingredients flown in from Japan. Chef Yonemura is known for fusing French-Japanese flavours and techniques, so you can be sure there will be something unique going on at every table.

We’re huge fans of Ryan Kieran Tan’s cool coffee shop, Stranger’s Reunion, so we were excited to hear he’d opened a new cafe in Kampong Glam. Wakey Wakey has an industrial type vibe with smooth concrete walls and exposed pipes, while the huge windows allow for views out to the courtyard and greenery of The Concourse along Beach Road. The menu is pretty simple at the moment with a small selection of coffees, chilled matcha bottles, and cakes, but we hear it’ll be offering a full food menu any day now.

Part bistro, part wine bar, part gourmet grocery, So France offers up an authentic French brasserie experience. The atmosphere is warm and inviting and the menu features French comfort food favourites like silky terrines, grilled steaks with crispy golden fries, and sharing platters of cold cuts and cheeses flown in from different regions of France. It also has a chic little wine bar with over 100 bottles on offer and glasses that start at just 8++, which makes this a great spot for after-work vinos and light bites.

Tucked away on Tras Street, Don & Tori is a hidden Japanese gem we imagine probably won’t be such a secret for much longer. The main ingredients are flown in fresh from Tsukiji Market and then transformed with panache into modern dishes like the truffle salmon carpaccio, king prawns in mentaiko sauce, and the sinfully decadent truffle Wagyu foie gras don. The cocktails are also worth checking out and there are some creative concoctions (like the Bold Fashioned; whisky washed in beef fat, cinnamon bitters, and yuzu) that we can’t wait to try.

Recently taking over the space of Au Petit Salut, Atout is the latest entrant into Singapore's historic Dempsey Hill area. ATOUT is helmed by award-winning Chef Patrick Heuberger and F&B veteran Jean-Philippe Joye. This French Bistro is also a wine bar and has a selection of private dining rooms. Diners will be able to enjoy a selection of charcuterie, rillettes, seafood, cheese and so much more in a quaint setting.

The Jigger & Pony Group is at it again with another restaurant and bar, this one in the heart of the CBD overlooking the Marina Bay Promenade. Caffe Fernet is Italian, but don’t expect the heavy, homey food that an Italian grandmother might make. The idea here is a lighter menu divided into snacks, small plates, and a few pastas and mains. We’ve already got our eyes on the crispy golden beetroot with rocket, almond, and feta and the sheep’s ricotta agnolotti with saffron, honey and thyme. The aperol spritz also sound pretty inviting.